1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print output management technology, and more specifically, to a data processing apparatus for efficiently controlling a print output destination in association with an information processing apparatus that has issued a print request. In addition, the present invention relates to a program and a recording medium used for the data processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
With improvements in computer performance and the spread of network technology, a known information processing apparatus provided in an office is connected to a network and accesses the Internet, a SAN (Storage Area Network), a server, a network printer, etc., to perform various processing. The connection of an information processing apparatus to a network can provide the expansion of its access performance. On the other hand, the wide access range of an information processing apparatus may cause some problems. For example, in order to print a document file, the information processing apparatus of a company, a hospital, an inspection organization, a public office, or the like, which handles personal information and confidential information, is required to dynamically select output data in accordance with the information level of a printer.
Under such a circumstance, with improvements in plug-and-play technology such as UPnP and Bonjour, plural accessible printers connected to a network are displayed on the printer dialogue of a conventional information processing apparatus in a selectable manner at the time of selecting a print output. Therefore, when it is required to switch a print output destination for a specific output purpose, there is a likelihood of specifying a wrong output destination under such a conventional printer selection method.
Furthermore, with an improvement in the print processing performance of an information processing apparatus and a printer, processing for converting into print data is accelerated. Therefore, once a print output is selected, data other than those left in a print queue are output to a wrong output destination printer even if the cancellation of the data is attempted. Accordingly, a user who handles a document file that contains personal information and a high degree of confidentiality may cause a serious problem when specifying a wrong output destination printer. In order to solve such an inconvenience, the print dialogue of a client computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a client) can be configured so as not to display all printers available on a network.
However, this method is not effective. That is, unified print output control cannot be performed on a printer network that generally includes printers provided from plural different vendors and where individual settings may be required for a client.
Up until now, various output destination management technologies of a document file have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 has proposed a technology for automatically selecting an output printer in accordance with the status of the printer such as “turned off” and “paper out.”
The system described in Patent Document 1 switches to another printer as an output destination in accordance with the status of the printer. Therefore, a print output can be performed efficiently. However, the system described in Patent Document 1 is aimed at automatically switching an output destination printer in accordance with the status of the printer but not aimed at managing an output destination that a specific information processing apparatus and a user can use.
Moreover, with only the selection of another printer in accordance with the status of the printer, a print output cannot be controlled. That is, when the printer is not in an error status even if a client issues an output request to a wrong printer, the print output cannot be actually performed.
In addition, it may also be possible for a printer server, a terminal server, or the like to determine a user identification value or an IP address with which a print instruction has been issued, or contents of print data so as to collectively manage print output destinations. However, in a system in which an application generates a spool file and an operating system (OS) performs the drawing process of the spool file, a desired operation cannot be performed unless an IP address is identified at an appropriate timing. Moreover, when a data processing apparatus such as a terminal service and a remote desktop is used, a terminal operated by a user, a computer in which an application operates, and a computer in which a system for drawing a spool file operates have their own IP addresses. Therefore, in this case, processing becomes too complicated. A system is not realized which not only operates under a simple system but also can accurately manage output destinations under such a complicated system. Further, a printer driver is generally managed by an operating system (OS). Therefore, when the printer driver is exclusively used by one print job, the printer driver cannot start the processing of a subsequent print job, which in turn causes a bottleneck of throughput.
After the printer driver completes image processing and output data are output to a specified printer, the printer driver starts the processing of the subsequent print job. Therefore, if a print error about output data that have been transmitted is caused by the specified printer, a data processing apparatus such as a printer server and a terminal server is required to have an error notification management module separated from the printer driver so as to perform error notification.
In other words, the conventional system makes it possible to select an output destination printer in accordance with the status of a printer and allows a user to specify which printer data are output prior to printing. However, if the user issues a print instruction specifying a wrong output destination, a document file is output to an unintended output destination printer, which results in the leakage of personal information and confidential information. Moreover, under the conventional system, even if a wrong output destination printer is selected, the output destination printer is specified in association with a user who accesses an information processing apparatus, and data are reliably output to an output destination printer set for the information processing apparatus and the user. Therefore, the leakage of information on a document file having a high degree of confidentiality must be prevented. Further, in this case also, an accurate operation is demanded even under a complicated system such as a terminal service and a remote desktop.
Further, in case that there are so many clients and a large number of full-color images are printed, it is assumed that time until control is returned to an application since the issuance of an instruction for printing print data (RTA: Return to Application) and time required for print processing increase. Therefore, a technology that manages print output destinations and performs print output under high security while dealing with this problem is also demanded. In addition, even if printers provided from plural vendors exist together, print output control must be efficiently performed not only for a fat client but also for a thin client without greatly modifying or integrating a program.
Further, in a system in which printed matter is sorted and printed, it is possible to output the printed matter to any page printer within a network. Therefore, particularly when this print system is used by plural users, it is necessary to notify the user who has issued a print instruction from which page printer the printed matter is to be output. Moreover, in this system in which plural users coexist, it is necessary to appropriately notify the user who has performed print processing of a print processing result such as successful printing or unsuccessful printing of the printed matter due to an error caused in the page printer or the like. Particularly, even a complicated system such as a terminal service and a remote desktop is also required to accurately notify the user who has issued a print instruction of the print processing result.
Further, when the print processing is performed in the above print system, a user is urged to use a page printer suitable for printing the printed matter in accordance with the performance of the page printer or the like. In addition, the user is urged to change print-setting conditions in accordance with print-setting information such as color printing, one-side printing, and page layouts. That is, it is necessary to reduce detrimental environmental effects and costs. In some cases, it is necessary to notify the user of the print processing result after the above changes are forcibly made.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-140867